Fastener driving apparatus



6, 1966 A. FIEDLER FASTENER DRIVING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledOct. 14, 1964 weak B s N Aug. 16, 1966 A. FIEDLER FASTENER DRIVINGAPPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1964 United States Patent3,266,697 FASTENER lDlllVlNG APPARATUS Armin lFiedler, Qhicago, llll.,assignor to Fastener Corporation, Franklin Park, lll., a corporation oflllinois Filed (let. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 403,885 12 Claims. (Cl. 227-120)The present invention relates to fastener driving apparatus and moreparticularly to portable fastener driving tools which are electricallyor pneumatically powered for driving relatively large fasteners, such ascommon nails.

In fastener driving tools of the type described above, it is desirableto provide a tool that will hold a large number of fasteners in themagazine thereof so that the tool may be operated to drive a maximumnumber of these fasteners before refilling the tool magazine with a newsupply of fasteners. With tools of this type for driving relativelylarge fasteners, such as 8d common nails and the like, it has been aproblem to provide a magazine assembly which would hold a large numberof these nails and which was still small enough and light enough inweight so that the tool was not cumbersome and awkward to handle.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved fastener driving tool of the type described.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved magazine assembly for holding a large supply of fasteners andfeeding them to a tool of the type described for driving thereby.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide anew and improved magazine assembly for a fastener driving tool of thetype described which is capable of holding a large supply of relativelylarge fasteners while being relatively small in size and weight topermit easy handling and positioning of the tool.

Yet another object of the present invention is the pro vision of a newand improved magazine assembly of the type described adapted to hold alarge supply of fasteners carried on strips and to feed successivefasteners of the strips into the drive track of the tool for drivingtherefrom.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a new andimproved magazine assembly of the type described which is provided witha plurality of guideways for holding strips of fasteners and which isselectively movable relative to the driving tool to feed first from oneof the guideways and then from the other guideways.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved magazine assembly for a fastener driving tool.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a magazineassembly having a plurality of guideways and means for automaticallymoving the assembly to feed fasteners from a second guideway afterexhaustion of the fasteners from a first guideway without interruptionin the feeding of the fasteners.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedmagazine assembly of the type described having a plurality of guidewaysdisposed in side-by-side relation and means for first feeding fastenersfrom one guideway until exhausted and then slidably moving the assemblyinto a position for feeding fasteners from a second guideway.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of anew and improved magazine assembly of the type described having pluralside-by-side guideways and means responsive to the presence of fastenersin one of the guideways for maintaining that guideway in feedingposition until the fasteners are exhausted and then moving the assemblyto position the other guideway in a fastener feeding position.

3,266,697 Patented August 16, 1966 Yet another object of the presentinvention is the provision of a new and improved magazine assemblyhaving a plurality of fastener feeding guideways and constructed forpivotal movement relative to the driving tool to selectively align firstone and then another guideway into feeding alignment with the drivetrack of the driving tool.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved fastener feeding assembly of the type described having aplurality of longitudinal fastener guideways adapted to receive stripsof interconnected fasteners and feed the fasteners successively into thefastener driving tool in synchronism with the driving strokes thereof.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present inventionare accomplished by the provision of a new and improved fastener drivingtool including .a drive track with a driver slidable therein for drivingfasteners and a magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners andfeeding them successively into the drive track. The magazine assemblyincludes a plurality of fastener guide means for receiving strips ofconnected fasteners and guiding them into the drive track of the tool.The guide means are disposed in side-by-side relation and have spacedapart open forward ends adapted to communicate with the drive track wheneach of the respective guide means is selectively aligned therewith. Inorder to move the magazine assembly to feed the fasteners from first oneand then another of the guide means into the drive track withoutinterruption, means is provided responsive to the presence of fastenersin one of the guide means of the magazine assembly to automatically movethe assembly to position another guide means in feeding alignment withthe drive track when the supply of fasteners is exhausted from the oneguide means.

Many other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from considering the following detailed description inconjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view in partial section of afastener driving tool having a magazine assembly constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the magazine assembly of FIG. 1 takenalong line 22 of FIG, 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is another sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view taken substantially along line 55 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 illustratingthe magazine assembly in one operative position wherein fasteners arefed into the drive track of the tool from one of the fastener containingguideways of the magazine;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 showing the assembly afterexhaustion of the fasteners from one of the guideways of the magazineand illustrating a mechanism for moving another guideway into feedingposition with the drive track; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 showing the magazineassembly in another operative position in which fasteners are fed intothe drive track of the tool from a second guideway of the magazine.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, therein is illustrateda fastener driving tool 10 of the portable or hand operated type whichpreferably is powered by pneumatic or electrical means (not shown) todrive large fasteners 12, such as 8d common nails and the like, whichare fastened together into strips or sticks 14 by means of transverselyextending, flexible carrier strips 16. The

strips or sticks 14 of fasteners and the method for preparing theassemblage thereof are more fully described in the copending applicationof William H. Baum et al., Serial No. 313,511, filed October 3, 1963,which application is assigned to the same assignee as the presentinvention. However, the present invention can be utilized for drivingother types and assemblages of fasteners and is not limited to use withonly the type of fasteners disclosed in the Baum et al. application.

The driving tool includes a frame with a depending lower forward endportion 18 on which is mounted a nose piece 20 and a depending rearwardportion 22 which provides a support for a rear portion of a magazineassembly indicated generally as 24. The nosepiece 20 is provided with aflat rear face 26 and a centrally disposed drive track 28 in which adriver or driving element 30 is disposed for sliding movement to drivefasteners positioned in the track.

In order that the fasteners 12 may be fed into the drive track 28, thenosepiece 20 is provided with a fastener feed opening 32 whichcommunicates with the drive track 28 and the rear face 26 of thenosepiece 20. The feed opening 32 is slightly larger than the diameterof the shanks of the nails 12 and is provided with enlarged portions foraccommodating the flexible strips 16 on either side thereof and anenlarged top portion 32a (FIG. 5) for accommodating the heads of thefasteners as they are moved into the drive track.

In accordance with the present invention, the magazine assembly 24 isprovided with a pair of longitudinally extending guideways 34a and 34bfor guidably supporting the fastener shanks so that the fasteners may bemoved forwardly into the feed slot 32 of the nosepiece assembly and intothe drive track 28. The guideways 34a and 3411 are arranged in parallel,side-by-side relation and extend from a rearward end of the magazineassembly 24 to a forward end face 38 which is in juxtaposition with therear face 26 of the nosepiece. Each of the guideways 34a and 34b isformed with a pair of opposed facing side walls 40a and 40b,respectively. The side walls are preferably formed of sheet metal or thelike, and each is formed with a plurality of outwardly extendinglongitudinal flutes 42, 44 and 46 therein. The upper and lower flutes 42and 46, respectively, on opposing walls 40a and 40b of each guidewayform longitudinally extending recesses along the length of the magazineassembly to accommodate the strips 16. The central flutes 44 on opposedside walls 40a and 40b of each guideway form longitudinally extendingcentral recesses or guides for accommodating longitudinally extendingbiasing springs 48 which springs forwardly bias respective fastenerpushers 50a and 50b, having enlarged, plate-like fastener engaging mainportions 51a and 51b slidably disposed within the respective guideways34a and 34b.

The springs 48 are engaged between a rearward end member 52 of themagazine assembly 24 and rearwardly facing slots 54a and 54b (FIG. 1)formed in the respective plate-like main portions 51a and 51b. Theaction of the springs 48 continuously biases the pushers forwardly intheir respective guideways to move the strips or sticks 14 of thefasteners 12 forwardly to feed the fasteners successively into the feedslot 32 of the drive track 28.

The plate-like main portions 51a and 51b of the pusher members 50a and5012 (FIG. 1) are provided with forward leading edges 56a and 56b,respectively, which are adapted to engage the rearward ones of the nails12 in the strips 14, and slots 58a and 58b are formed in the leadingedges 56a and 56b, respectively, to accommodate the heads of these nails12 and thereby prevent the strips from moving upwardly out of theirrespective guideways. It should be noted that the upper end of theguideways 34a and 34b are open so that the fastener strips 14 can beplaced therein from the top of the magazine assembly and once the stripsare inserted into the guideway they are secured therein against upwardmovement by the engagement of the heads of the rearward nails of thestrip within the slots 58a and 58b.

Rearwardly of the forward end face 38 of the magazine assembly 24, thereis provided a mounting bracket 60 secured to the outer surface of theouter wall 40a of the guideway 34a, which bracket is provided withoutwardly extending upper and lower tabs 62 through which is journaled apivot pin 64. The pin 64 is likewise journaled to extend throughlaterally disposed bosses 66 which are formed on the depending endportion 22 of the tool, thus allowing the magazine assembly 24 topivotally move with respect to the tool about the axis of the pin 64.

The forward end of the magazine assembly 24 is in confronting relationto the rearward face of the nosepiece 20 and is curved to accommodatethe pivotal movement of the magazine assembly, as shown in FIG. 2. On0pposite sides of the magazine assembly 24 at its forward end, there areprovided reinforcing bracket members 68a and 68b having upwardlyextending side legs 70a and 70b which are spot-welded or otherwisesecured to the outer surfaces of the outer side walls 40a and 40b of therespective guideways 34a and 34b. The bracket members 68a and 63b areeach provided with outwardly extending top fianges 72a and 72b formed atthe upper ends of the legs 70a and 70b respectively, and these topflanges are provided with slots 74 which slidably accommodate upwardlyextending pins 76 which are threaded into the forward end portion 18 ofthe tool. The pins 76 extend through the slots 74 and aligned slots 78formed in a lateral cross plate 80 which is secured to the forward endportion 18 of the tool and disposed to overlie the upper surfaces of theflanges 72. The engagement between the pins 76 and the slots 74 in theflanges 72a and 72b limits the lateral sliding movements of the forwardend of the magazine assembly 24 relative to the nosepiece 20 between afirst position wherein the guideway 34a is aligned with the feed slot 32of the nosepiece and a second position wherein the feed slot 341) isaligned with the feed slot 32 of the nosepiece. Thus, the magazineassembly 24 is pivotally movable about the axis of the pivot pin 64 sothat the forward end face 38 will move laterally with respect to thefeed slot 32 to align therewith first one and then the other of theguideways 34a and 34b.

In order to maintain the magazine assembly 24 in its first position withthe right-hand guideway 34a in alignment with the feed slot opening 32of the nosepiece so that nails in this guideway can be directed into thefeed slot by the action of the pusher 50a, there is provided a latchingmechanism generally indicated by the numeral 82 and clearly shown inFIGS. 6, 7, and 8 of the drawings. The latching mechanism 82 includes amounting bracket 84 which is secured to a right-hand edge face 21 of thenosepiece 20 by means of cap screws 86, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and8. The bracket 84 further includes a rearwardly extending leg 88 onwhich is journaled a pin 90 with the axis thereof disposed in parallelrelation to the axis of the drive track 28. The pin 90 carries apivotally movable latch member 92 which extends inwardly therefromtoward the magazine assembly 24. The inwardly extending end of the latch92 is normally biased rearwardly by a spring 94 disposed within a recess96 formed in the rear face 26 of the nosepiece. The latch 92 includes aforwardly extending projection 98 for centering the rearward end of thebiasing spring 94 to maintain the rearward end of the spring inengagement with the lat-ch 92. The latch 92 further includes an end face100 formed on a rearwardly projecting tip 102 at the free end of thelatch. The tip 102 forms one side wall of an adjacent rearwardly facingnotch 104 which is adapted to be engaged by a forward edge of thebracket leg 70a on the right-hand side of the magazine assembly 24, whenin the assembly position shown in FIG. 6.

Referring more specifically to FIG. 6, when the latch 92 is biasedrearwardly by the spring 94 to the position shown therein, therearwardly facing edge of the notch aaeaeez 104 engages the forward edgeof a notch 71a (see FIG. 5) formed in the bracket leg 70a on themagazine assembly 24, and thus because of the engagement between thelatch 92 and the bracket 70a the forward end of the magazine assembly ispositively maintained in the first position against lateral movement sothat the guideway 34a is maintained in correct feeding alignment withthe drive track 28 whereby nails 12 may be fed from the guideway 34adirectly through the feed opening 32 into the drive track by the actionof the pusher 50a.

In order to move the latch 92 forwardly so that the notch 104 thereof isno longer engaging the bracket leg 78a and hence allow shifting of themagazine assembly 24 to the second feeding position, the pusher 50a isprovided with a forwardly extending laterally displaced finger 120a, theforward end of which is disposed to engage the rearward projecting tab102 of the latch 92 when the pusher approaches a full forward positionwherein the last nail 12 in the guideway 34a is moved into the feed slot32.

The feeding springs 48 are somewhat stronger than the biasing spring 94so that forward movement of the latch member 92 is readily accomplishedby the finger 120a of the pusher 50a upon approaching the full forwardposition wherein all of the nails have been exhausted from the guideway34a. Consequently, as the last nail is exhausted from the guideway 34a,the pusher 50a moves the latch forwardly, and then a spring 108automatically moves or shifts the forward end of the magazine assembly24 laterally in the direction of the arrow 106 to the second position(FIG. 8) wherein the second guideway 34b can feed directly into thedrive track without interruption in feeding of nails from the magazineassembly to the drive track.

When the free end of the latch 92 is moved forwardly toward the rearface 26 of the nosepiece to the position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 againstthe bias of the spring 94, the forward end of the magazine assembly 24is then free to move laterally in the direction shown by an arrow 106(FIG. 6) to a second position wherein the second guideway 34b is alignedwith the drive track 28 and feed opening 32 of the nosepiece 20.

In order to move the forward end of the magazine assembly 24 in thedirection indicated by the arrow 106 to align the second guideway 34bwith the drive track 28, there is provided a biasing spring 108, theinner end of which bears against the bracket leg 70b on the left-handside of the magazine assembly 24 (FIGS. 6 and 8). The outer end of thespring 108 is secured within a recess 110 provided in a rearwardlyextending portion 112 of a side bracket 114 secured to an opposite edgeface 23 of the nosepiece 20 by means of a plurality of cap screws 116.Thus, the spring 108 continuously urges the forward end of the magazineassembly 24 in the direction of the arrow 1% toward the second positionwherein the guideway 34b is aligned with the drive track 28 of thenosepiece as sembly.

When the latch 92 is in its rearward position, as shown in FIG. 6, thenotch 104 thereof securely maintains the forward end of the magazineassembly in the first position wherein the right-hand guideway 34a isaligned to feed fasteners 12 into the drive track 28 and the spring 108is ineffectual to move the forward end of the magazine assembly in thedirection of the arrow 106 to the position shown in FIG. 8. When in thisposition, the upper ends of the slots 74 (as viewed in FIG. 2) of thebrackets 68a and 68b bear against the pins 76.

When the latch member 92 is then moved forwardly by the pusher 50a uponexhaustion of the nails from the guideway 34a, the bracket leg 70a onthe right side of the forward end of the magazine assembly 24 no longeris engaged within the notch 104 of the latch member, and the spring 108can then move the forward end of the magazine assembly laterally asindicated by the arrow 106 to the second feeding position wherein thesecond guideway 34b is aligned with the drive track 28, as shown in FIG.8. When in this second feeding position (FIG. 8), the lower ends of theslots 74 (FIG. 2) in the brackets 68a and 68b bear against the pins 76and consequently limit the movement of the magazine assembly in thedirection of the arrow 106 to insure positive alignment of the secondguideway 34b with the feed opening 32. It should also be noted that thewalls 40a and 40b of the respective guideways 34a and 34b are providedwith forwardly opening notches 118 (See FIG. 5) to allow free movementof the latch 92 so that it will not interfere with the shifting of themagazine assembly 24 from the first to the second feeding position.Also, the forward edge 56a of the pusher 50a is notched as at 57a sothat there is no interference between the pusher and the latch 92 whichwould hamper the shifting of the magazine assembly.

The forward edge of the finger 12011 is spaced rearwardly from theleading edge 56a of the pusher 50a so that it will engage the projectingtab 102 of the latch 92 only as the last nail has been moved out of theguideway 34a into the feed opening 32. Accordingly, the cooperatingelements of the pusher 50a and the latch mechanism 92 provide means forpositively maintaining the first guideway 34a in a first feedingposition with respect to the drive track 28 until the fasteners 12therein are exhausted and for then allowing the magazine assembly 24 tobe moved laterally in the direction of the arrow 106 by the spring 108so that the second guideway 34b is in feeding alignment with the drivetrack. The magazine assembly 24 is maintained in this second position bythe spring 108 and the engagement of the pins 76 within the slots 74.

Accordingly, the magazine assembly 24 is capable of holding at leasttwice as many fasteners as a normal magazine having a single guidetrack, and the interval of time between refills is consequently reducedby half. Also, very little increase in the bulk or the size of themagazine assembly is necessary with this arrangement. Further, theguideways 34a and 84b preferably are disposed in a parallelconfiguration, as shown, to provide a minimum transverse dimension forthe magazine assembly.

The pushers 50a and 50b are provided with handles or grips 122a and12212 which extend upwardly from the respective guideways and across thetops thereof toward a common side of the magazine assembly 24. Thesehandles 122a and 1221) provide a visual in-diciaton of the quantity offasteners remaining in each of the respective guideways 34a and 341) atany time during operation of the tool. Consequently, when both of thehandles 122a and 122b are positioned together adjacent the forward endof the magazine assembly 24, the operator can readily see that all ofthe fasteners 12 in the magazine assembly 24 have been exhausted.

After exhaustion of all of the nails in the magazine assembly 24, inorder to refill the guideways, the handle 122a is moved rearwardlytoward the end 52 of the magazine. As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3,the handle 122a is positioned forwardly of and in alignment with thehandle 1221) so that when the handle 122a is manually moved to the rearof the magazine assembly the handle 12% will also be carried to therear. The forward end of the magazine assembly 24 is manually moved inthe direction of the arrow 124 (FIG. 8) against the biasing spring 108until the bracket leg a on the righthand side of the magazine is inalignment with the rearward facing notch 104 on the latch member 92.When this alignment is obtained, the spring 94 is then free to move thelatch member 92 rearwardly so that the notch 184 is engaged by thebracket leg 70a locking the magazine assembly in the first feedingposition previously described with the guideway 84a in feeding alignmentwith the drive track.

Strips of fasteners are then inserted from the top into both of the openguideways 34a and 34b and the handles are released. When the handles122a and 122b are released, the biasing springs 48 urge the respectivepushers 50a and 50b forwardly so that the leading edges 56a and 56bthereof engage the rearwardmost fasteners 12 in each of the guideways.The notches 58a and 58b in the pushers engage the heads of therearwardrnost fasteners in the strips and prevent upward movement of thestrips out of their respective guideways. The forward ends of the strips14 are prevented from upward movement out of their respective guidewaysby means of the cross plate 80 on the forward end of the magazineassembly 24. The spring 48 engaging the pusher 51a biases the lead nailin the strip of nails in guideway 34a through the feed opening 32 intodriving position in the drive track. The operator of the tool can nowoperate the tool to drive fasteners which are fed from the firstguideway 34a forwardly into the drive track by the pusher 50a. As thelast fastener in the guideway 34a is fed into the feed opening 32, thelatch member 92 is moved forwardly by the finger 120a of the pusher 50aallowing the spring 198 to laterally shift the magazine assembly 24 tothe second feeding position. In the second position, the fastenerswithin the second guideway 34b are fed directly into the feed opening 32and the drive track 28 by the forwardly biased pusher 501) until thesupply of fasteners in the entire magazine 24 is exhausted. At thistime, two strips 14 of fasteners 12 can be loaded into the magazineassembly in the manner previously described.

The present invention thus provides a fastener driving tool with meansfor holding a much larger supply of fasteners and, consequently, reducesthe time interval between refilling the tool with fasteners. Themagazine assembly 24 is maintained in a first feeding position whereinfasteners are fed from one of the plurality of guideways of the magazineassembly into the drive track until the supply therein is exhausted andthen, with no interruption in feeding, the magazine assembly isautomatically shifted to a second position wherein a second guideway isaligned to feed fasteners into the drive track. The size of the magazineassembly of the present invention is not substantially increased by theaddition of one or more additional guideways and, consequently, thedriving tool 10 is not awkward and cumbersome to handle as is the casewhen rotary or drum type assemblies are utilized.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to asingle illustrative embodiment thereof, it should be understood thatnumerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by thoseskilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of theprinciples of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feedingthem into a drive track of a driving tool comprising first and secondfastener guide means disposed in side-by-side relation for guidingsuccessive fasteners therein into said drive track, each of said guidemeans including an open forward end adapted to communicate with saiddrive track when said guide means is aligned therewith, and meansresponsive to fasteners positioned in said first guide means for movingsaid second guide means into alignment with said drive track whenfasteners in said first guide means are exhausted, said last mentionedmeans including normally inoperative biasing means for moving saidsecond guide means into fastener feeding alignment with said drive trackand means for rendering said biasing means operative in response to theexhaustion of fasteners from said first guide means.

2. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feedingthem int-o a drive track of a driving tool by a driving elementcomprising a pair of longitudinally disposed fastener guide meansadjacent one another in parallel, in side-by-side relation for guidingsuccessive fasteners disposed therein into said drive track, each ofsaid guide means including an open forward end adapted to communicatewith said drive track when said guide means is aligned therewith, saidassembly being laterally shiftable between first and second feedingpositions wherein first one and then the other of said guide means isaligned with said drive track, and biasing means engaging said guidemeans and operative in response to the absence of fasteners in saidfirst guide means to move said second guide means into alignment withsaid drive track.

3. A fastener driving tool comprising a nose piece having a drive tracktherein and a rearward face, a driving element slidable in said drivetrack to drive fasteners therefrom, a magazine assembly for holding asupply of fasteners and feeding them into said drive track, fastenerfeed slot means defined in said nose piece in communication with saiddrive track and extending rearwardly therefrom to said rearward face,said magazine assembly including a rearwardly extending longitudinalbody having a forward face confronting the rearward face of said nosepiece and movable laterally in respect thereto between first and secondfastener feeding positions, first fastener guide means defined in saidbody member extending longitudinally thereof for guiding the forwardmovement of a strip of fasteners disposed therein, said first fastenerguide means having an open forward end opening into the forward face ofsaid body member, second fastener guide means defined in said bodymember extending longitudinally parallel to and in side-by-side spacedapart relation to said first fastener guide means, said second fastenerguide means having an open forward end opening into the forward face ofsaid body member, first pusher means slidably disposed in said firstfastener guide means biased forwardly therein and including a forwardedge engageable with the last fastener of a strip of fasteners placed insaid first fastener guide means for normally urging said strip forwardlytherein, biasing means interconnecting said nosepiece and the forwardend of said body member for normally biasing the latter in a lateraldirection towards said second feeding position wherein the forward endof said second fastener guide means is aligned with said feed slot meansof the nose piece, latch means engageable between said nose piece andthe forward end of said body when in a latched position for maintainingthe latter in said first feeding position wherein the forward end ofsaid first fastener guide means is aligned with said feed slot meansagainst the urging of said biasing means, said latch means being movableto an unlatched position out of engagement between said nose piece andbody member wherein the latter may move laterally to said secondposition due to urging of said biasing means and latch actuating meanson said first pusher means engageable with said latch means to move thelatter to the unlatched position when the forward edge of said firstpusher means reaches a full forward position wherein said last fastenerof said strip is moved into said feed slot means in said nose piece.

4. A fastener driving tool comprising a nosepiece having a drive tracktherein and a rearward face, a driving element slidable in said drivetrack to drive fasteners therefrom, a magazine assembly for holding asupply of fasteners and feeding them into said drive track, saidmagazine assembly including a rearwardly extending longitudinal bodyhaving a forward face confronting the rearward face of said nose pieceand movable laterally in respect thereto between first and secondfastener feed positions, first guide means defined in said body memberextending longitudinally thereof for guiding the forward movement of astrip of fasteners disposed therein, said first guide means having anopen forward end opening into the forward face of said body member forselected communication with said drive track when said assembly is insaid first position, second guide means defined in said body memberextending longitudinally parallel to and in side-by-side spaced apartrelation to said first guide means, said second guide means having anopen forward end opening into the forward face of said body member forselected communication with said drive track when said assembly is insaid second position, pusher means slidably disposed in said first guidemeans biased forwardly therein and including a forward edge engageablewith the last fastener of a strip of fasteners disposed in said firstguide means for normally urging said strip forwardly therein, normallydisabled biasing means interconnecting said nosepiece and the forwardend of said body member for biasing the latter in a lateral directionfrom said first position to said second position, latch means engageablebetween said nosepiece and the forward end of said body when in alatched position for maintaining the latter in said first positionwherein the forward end of said first guide means is aligned with saiddrive track, said latch means being movable to tan unlatched positionout of engagement between said nosepiece and body member wherein thelatter may move laterally to said second position in response to saidbiasing means and means on said pusher means responsive to theexhaustion of fasteners in said first guide means for rendering saidbiasing means operative to move the magazine assembly into said secondposition.

5. A fastener driving tool comprising a nosepiece having a drive tracktherein and a rearward face and a driving element slidable in said drivetrack to drive fasteners therefrom, a magazine assembly for holding asupply of fasteners and feeding them into said drive track, saidmagazine assembly including a rearwardly extending longitudinal bodyhaving -a forward face confronting the rearward face of said nosepieceand movable laterally in respect thereto between first and secondfastener feed positions, first guide means defined in said body memberextending longitudinally thereof for guiding the forward movement of astrip of fasteners disposed therein, said first slot means having anopen forward end opening into the forward face of said body memberadapted for alignment with said drive track when said body is in saidfirst position, second guide means defined in said body member extendinglongitudinally parallel to and in sideby-side spaced apart relation tosaid first guide means, said second guide means having an open forwardend opening into the forward face of said body member adapted foralignment with said drive track when said body is in said secondposition, pusher means slidably disposed in said first guide meansbiased forwardly therein and including a forward edge engageable withthe last fastener of a strip of fasteners disposed in said first slotmeans for normally urging said strip forwardly therein, normallyinoperative biasing means interconnecting said nosepiece and the forwardend of said body member for normally biasing the latter in a lateraldirection from said first position toward said second position and latchmeans engageable between said nosepiece and the forward end of said bodywhen in a latched position for maintaining the latter in said firstposition, said latch means being movable to an unlatched position out ofengagement between said nosepiece and body member wherein the latter maymove laterally to said second position due to urging of said biasingmeans, said pusher means including a portion engageable with said latchmeans for moving the latter to the unlatched position when the forwardedge of said pusher means reaches a full forward position wherein saidlast fastener of said strip is moved into said feed slot means in saidnosepiece.

6. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feedingthem into the drive track of a fastener driving tool comprising amagazine body defining therein a pair of fastener guide ways arranged toextend rearwardly from a forward end thereof in side-by-side relationwith one another, each of said guide ways having an open forward endadapted to communicate with said drive track when aligned therewith,said magazine body adapted for pivotal mounting on said tool forselected pivotal movement about an axis remote from the forward endthereof between a first position wherein one of said guide ways isaligned with said drive track and a second position wherein the otherguide way is aligned with said drive track, latch means for maintainingsaid body in said first position as long as fasteners are present in oneof said guide ways and movable to an unlatched position when thefasteners therein are exhausted. and biasing means for moving said bodyto said second position when said latch means is moved to an unlatchedposition.

7. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feedingthem into the drive track of a fastener driving tool comprising amagazine body defining therein a pair of fastener guide ways arranged toextend rearward-1y from a forward end thereof in side-by-side relation,each of said guide ways having an open forward end adapted tocommunicate with said drive track when aligned therewith, said magazinebody adapted for pivotal mounting on said tool for selected pivotalmovement about an axis remote from the forward end thereof from a firstposition wherein one of said guide ways is aligned with said drive trackto a second position wherein the other of said guide ways is alignedwith said drive track, biasing means normally inoperative when said bodyis in said first position and operative to move said body to said secondposition and means responsive to the exhaustion of fasteners in said oneguide way for rendering said biasing means operative.

8. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feedingthem forwardly thereof into the drive track of a fastener driving toolcomprising a body member having a plurality of longitudinally extending\fastener guide ways in spaced apart side-by-side relation for guidingstrips of connected together fasteners into said drive track, saidmember having a closed rear end and a forward end having a pair ofspaced apart openings therein, said openings respectively aligned witheach of said guide ways, each of said guide ways formed with spaced:apart opposite side walls for guiding the depending shanks of thefasteners, each of said walls including a plurality of longitudinallyextending, spaced apart grooves disposed in opposing relation onoppositely facing side Walls, fastener pushing members slidably disposedin each of said guide ways extending between opposite side wallsthereof, said pusher members each including a forward edge adapted forengagement with a rear fastener in the guide ways and biasing meanslongitudinally disposed -in recesses formed by pairs of opposed groovesin the side walls of each of said guide ways positioned to extendbetween said pushing members and the closed rear end of said bodymember, urging said pushers forwardly along their respective guide ways.

9. A fastener driving tool comprising a drive track with a reciprocallymovable driver therein for driving fasteners from said track, magazinemeans for containing a supply of fasteners and feeding said fastenersinto said drive track, said magazine means including a plurality of sideby side, longitudinally extending fastener guiding ways, each way havingan open forward end adapted to communicate with said drive track whensaid way is aligned therewith, means for mounting said magazine means onsaid tool to pivot relative thereto to move first one and then the otherof said ways into alignment with the drive track and means for holdingsaid magazine to feed fasteners first from one of said ways untilexhausted therein and automatically moving said magazine to feedfasteners from the other way into said drive track without interruptionof fasteners feeding during movement of said magazine from one alignedposition to the other.

10. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners securedtogether in strips and feeding successive fasteners from the strips into-a drive track of a driving tool, said assembly including a body havinga forward end adjacent said drive track and movable laterally withrespect thereto between first and second spaced apart feeding positions,said body including a pair of longitudinally extending guide ways inside-by-side relation for guiding strips of fasteners placed thereinforwardly into said drive track, forwardly biased pushers slidablydisposed in each of said guide ways for engaging the rearward fastenersof a strip of fasteners disposed in each guide way and moving the stripsforwardly to feed successive fasteners into said drive track, biasingmeans laterally urging the forward end of said body into said secondposition wherein one of said guide ways is aligned with said drive trackand means engageable with the forward end Olf said body and responsiveto the position of said pusher in said one guide way for maintaining theother of said guide ways in aligned position with said drive track untilsaid pusher reaches a predetermined forward position in said one guideway.

11. A magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feedingsaid fasteners into the drive track of a driving tool, said assemblycomprising a plurality of fastener guiding ways disposed in side-by-siderelation, each of said Ways having an open forward end adapted tocommunicate with said drive track when aligned therewith, pusher membersslidably disposed in each of said ways engageable with fastenersdisposed therein for normally biasing said fasteners forwardly towardthe forward end of said ways and means responsive to the position of thepusher disposed in one of said ways for moving the other of said waysinto alignment with said drive track when the supply of fasteners insaid one way is exhausted.

12. In a fastener driving tool, fastener driving means including a drivetrack, a fastener magazine assembly including at least a pair of guideways each adapted to guide strips of fasteners, said magazine assemblybeing movable from a first position in which fasteners from one of theguide ways are fed to the drive track to a second position in whichfasteners from the second guide way are fed to the drive track,detecting means for determining the quantity of fasteners in one guideway, and means controlled by the detecting means for automaticallymoving the magazine assembly from the first position to the secondposition when the supply of fasteners in the first guideway is reducedto a given level.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 169,661 11/1875Shaw 227109 999,233 8/1911 Ladd et a1 227-109 1,474,368 11/1923 Jerram227-118 1,927,502 9/1933 Richardson 221- 2,909,780 10/1959 Wandel 227FOREIGN PATENTS 4,366 2/1899 Great Britain.

GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner.

1. A MAGAZINE ASSEMBLY FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF FASTENERS AND FEEDINGTHEM INTO A DRIVE TRACK OF A DRIVING TOOL COMPRISING FIRST AND SECONDFASTENER GUIDE MEANS DISPOSED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION OF GUIDINGSUCCESSIVE FASTENERS THEREIN INTO SAID DRIVE TRACK, EACH OF SAID GUIDEMEANS INCLUDING AN OPEN FORWARD END ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAIDDRIVE TRACK WHEN SAID GUIDE MEANS IS ALIGNED THEREWITH, AND MEANSRESPONSIVE TO FASTENERS POSITIONED IN SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS FOR MOVINGSAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID DRIVE TRACK WHENFASTENERS IN SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS ARE EXHAUSTED, SAID LAST MENTIONEDMEANS INCLUDING NORMALLY INOPERATIVE BIASING MEANS FOR MOVING SAIDSECOND GUIDE MEANS INTO FASTENER FEEDING ALIGNMENT WITH SAID DRIVE TRACKAND MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID BIASING MEANS OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO THEEXHAUSTION OF FASTENERS FROM SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS.